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The preseason AP Top 25 was unveiled Saturday morning, ranking Wisconsin 23rd -- precisely where the Badgers landed in the USA Today coaches poll released earlier this month.
Rank | Team | Record | Votes | Previous |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Alabama (58) | 0-0 | 1,498 | NR |
2 | Ohio State (1) | 0-0 | 1,365 | NR |
3 | Oregon | 0-0 | 1,335 | NR |
4 | Stanford | 0-0 | 1,294 | NR |
5 | Georgia (1) | 0-0 | 1,249 | NR |
6 | South Carolina | 0-0 | 1,154 | NR |
7 | Texas A&M | 0-0 | 1,104 | NR |
8 | Clemson | 0-0 | 1,083 | NR |
9 | Louisville | 0-0 | 1,042 | NR |
10 | Florida | 0-0 | 894 | NR |
11 | Florida State | 0-0 | 845 | NR |
12 | LSU | 0-0 | 802 | NR |
13 | Oklahoma State | 0-0 | 755 | NR |
14 | Notre Dame | 0-0 | 748 | NR |
15 | Texas | 0-0 | 677 | NR |
16 | Oklahoma | 0-0 | 579 | NR |
17 | Michigan | 0-0 | 531 | NR |
18 | Nebraska | 0-0 | 382 | NR |
19 | Boise State | 0-0 | 328 | NR |
20 | TCU | 0-0 | 323 | NR |
21 | UCLA | 0-0 | 286 | NR |
22 | Northwestern | 0-0 | 199 | NR |
23 | Wisconsin | 0-0 | 185 | NR |
24 | USC | 0-0 | 134 | NR |
25 | Oregon State | 0-0 | 129 | NR |
Others Receiving Votes: Michigan State 95, Baylor 92, Virginia Tech 86, Miami (FL) 85, Arizona State 53, Kansas State 43, Fresno State 36, Vanderbilt 19, Washington 17, Northern Illinois 16, Mississippi 11, Utah State 8, Georgia Tech 6, North Carolina 3, Arizona 3, Cincinnati 3, Penn State 2, Brigham Young 1 |
Four other Big Ten teams made the top 25 ahead of Wisconsin, including Ohio State (No. 2), Michigan (No. 17), Nebraska (No. 18) and Northwestern (No. 22). Michigan State would be the proverbial 26th team, finishing with 95 votes, the most among "Others Receiving Votes."
Those five top-25 teams also tie the Big Ten for second-most among college football's conferences.
AP Top 25 poll by league: SEC 6, B1G & Pac 12 5 each, Big 12 4, ACC 2, AAC 1, MWC 1, Notre Dame
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) August 17, 2013
The significance of the AP poll has dropped in the eyes of many college football pundits, and it's easy to see why when viewing the the disparity -- or lack thereof -- between it and the coaches poll. Especially in the initial preseason polls, it appears the voters have very little to vote on aside from last year's records and figures of varying importance for the upcoming season, such as returning starters, strength of schedule, etc.
The two polls side-by-side, with the disparities in bold:
Coaches | AP | ||
1 | Alabama (58) | Alabama (58) | |
2 | Ohio St. (3) | Ohio State (1) | |
3 | Oregon | Oregon | |
4 | Stanford | Stanford | |
5 | Georgia | Georgia (1) | |
6 | Texas A&M (1) | South Carolina | |
7 | South Carolina | Texas A&M | |
8 | Clemson | Clemson | |
9 | Louisville | Louisville | |
10 | Florida | Florida | |
11 | Notre Dame | Florida State | |
12 | Florida St. | LSU | |
13 | LSU | Oklahoma State | |
14 | Oklahoma St. | Notre Dame | |
15 | Texas | Texas | |
16 | Oklahoma | Oklahoma | |
17 | Michigan | Michigan | |
18 | Nebraska | Nebraska | |
19 | Boise St. | Boise State | |
20 | TCU | TCU | |
21 | UCLA | UCLA | |
22 | Northwestern | Northwestern | |
23 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | |
24 | USC | USC | |
25 | Oregon St. | Oregon State |
Criticism of the voters, as you'd expect, seems to magnify with each year. Things will certainly change once the College Football Playoff era begins next year, but for now, we'll be stuck with one more season of gripes. Not that I'd necessarily defend either poll -- there's no way coaches throughout college football are informed or care enough to submit rational, objective and informed ballots each week, and not all reporters will be much different, sadly.
One saving grace: We'll be unveiling the 2013 SB Nation BlogPoll shortly, our college network's take at ranking college football's top teams. Here's how last year's finished -- if you have any ideas or feedback as to how we should implement the BlogPoll here at B5Q, please do fire away in the comments. We already have some new ideas planned for this season, and we're thrilled we can finally bring them to you soon.
More from Bucky's 5th Quarter:
- Practice Roundup, Aug. 16: Tanner McEvoy gets 1st-team reps
- 10 Fun Facts About... Purdue
- Post-Practice Roundup, Aug. 15: Wisconsin's defense continues to thrive
- Dan Voltz injury: Wisconsin center tweaks hamstring in practice [UPDATED]
- Wisconsin's best modern-day running back products: Michael Bennett
- Chris Borland 1 forced fumble away from tying NCAA record